EP18: Sarah Kagan: The Legacy of Motherhood: Losing a Mom While Becoming a Mom

When Sarah Kagan became a mother while losing her own, she stepped into a season defined by both beginnings and endings. Joining Justin Weidenfeld in this episode, she shares the small moments that still echo—crocheting beside her mom until treatment made it impossible, finishing a baby blanket alone, and moving between hospice updates and work calls. Which matters more in the end, the big milestones or the ordinary time we barely notice while we have it?   Back at work, her grief was met with silence. Five days off, then business as usual. She wonders how different it could feel if HR handled logistics for the bereaved, or if re-entry mirrored onboarding with gradual steps back into responsibility. What if managers offered camera-off norms, lighter schedules, or real human check-ins? Sarah argues that grief doesn’t disappear when leave ends, it just shifts into the workplace.   That realization pushed her to create Keriah Grief Coaching, named after a ritual that means both tearing and opening. She now works with women who feel unrecognizable after loss, helping them stop circling around grief and take the next step into a life reshaped by it. Legacy shows up in handmade keepsakes for her kids and donations to pancreatic cancer research, but also in the reminder she offers clients and companies alike: grief isn’t a weakness to cover up—it’s a fact of being alive. Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Introduction to The Currency of Grief Podcast 02:13 Sarah Kagan’s Path Into Grief Coaching 05:24 Caregiving for a Parent With Pancreatic Cancer 13:39 Anticipatory Grief During Pregnancy 23:41 Grieving While Pregnant 35:33 The Turning Point: Quitting a Job After Loss 41:23 How HR Can Support Bereaved Employees 50:10 Immediate Steps After Death: Funeral Planning and Shiva 58:26 The Firsts Without Mom 01:05:54 Keriah Grief Coaching: Mission and Services   Links Connect with Sarah Kagan: Visit Keriah Grief Coaching Sarah Kagan’s LinkedIn Sarah Kagan’s Instagram   Connect with Justin Weidenfeld: Connect with Justin on LinkedIn Follow The Currency of Grief on LinkedIn  Follow The Currency of Grief on Instagram  Follow The Currency of Grief on TikTok  Subscribe to The Currency of Grief on YouTube Website Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm